NEW ITEMS REQUIRINGACTION in no particular order – there are a lot, but that’s because I know that people are interested in different things. Pick the issue that you’re most concerned about, and take action.

1 Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates was recently prevented from testifying before Congress regarding Russia’s interference in the recent election. “Urge your members of Congress to press for the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to call former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates to testify in an open hearing of the Committee’s Russia probe. Yates was scheduled to testify in an open hearing of the House Committee on Tuesday. The Washington Post reports that the White House tried to block Yates testimony with a claim of executive privilege. Per Wapo’s report, Yates’ attorneys informed the White House on Friday that Yates intended to testify about her conversations with the White House because the White House had waived privilege by its public comments on the matters involved. On the same day, Chairman Devin Nunes [R-CA] cancelled the hearing. Representative Adam Schiff [D-CA], Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Yates had been expected to provide potentially explosive testimony at the cancelled hearing, involving her discussions with the White House about former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Schiff urged that an open hearing be rescheduled as soon as possible. However, it is not clear that Chairman Nunes will be willing to reschedule the hearing, whether open or closed. Senator Mark Warner [D-VA], Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated Tuesday that Yates would be called to testify before the Senate panel. However, Warner will need the cooperation of the Committee’s Chairman, Senator Richard Burr [R-NC]. There is a strong appearance the White House is trying to prevent Yates from publicly testifying and that at least Nunes is working with the White House. It is important to keep public pressure on Congress to allow open hearings so the American people can be confident that they have the facts on Russia’s meddling in our election and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russian officials.”

Script: I am one of the Congressman’s constituents in Vermont. I am calling to urge the Congressman to push for public hearings into Russia’s interference into the election and for the public testimony of Sally Yates. There is a strong appearance the White House is trying to prevent Yates from publicly testifying. It is crucial that the public have access to this testimony. Thank you.

Script: I am one of the Congressman’s constituents in Vermont. I am calling to urge the Congressman to push for stronger economic sanctions against Russia. Vladimir Putin has displayed a pattern of blatant disregard for the rights and well-being of his people and the sovereignty of other nations. Russia regularly interferes in the operations of foreign governments, including the US presidential election, deploys troops to foreign nations to consolidate power, and silences political opposition through the arrest of protestors and political rivals. It is past time for the US government to stand up to this dictator and prove that the US is still a world power dedicated to protecting the freedom of all people. Thank you. (from https://twitter.com/jkkowalski/status/846367362794377216)

3 “On Wednesday, the House passed the HONEST Act (HR 1430). The HONEST Act is intentionally oblique legislation which requires that, when developing rules, the EPA only utilize scientific studies whose data, code, and other materials are all publicly available online. It also requires that all results be independently reproducible. These requirements deviate from the established norms of the scientific community and are designed to cripple scientific research at the EPA. It allows industry lobbyists and EPA-opposed politicians to delay or block credible peer-reviewed studies. For example, the requirement that all scientific results be reproducible is often infeasible (such as when studying one-off events like the Deepwater Horizon disaster or Hurricane Katrina), or prohibitively expensive (such as decades-long public health studies involving thousands of participants). Similarly, the requirement that all data be publicly available can be prohibitive; redacting personally identifiable information from public health studies can require thousands of hours of labor, and other findings may depend on tightly guarded industry or trade secrets.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/326380-house-votes-to-restrict-epas-use-of-science and https://5calls.org/issue/rec1xzyWmbiGgyxNK and https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/115-2017/h206

Action: Contact your US House Representative: Peter Welch 802-652-2450 https://welch.house.gov/contact/emailScript: I am one of the Congressman’s constituents in Vermont. I am calling to express opposition to H.R. 1430, the HONEST Act. The EPA works to keep America clean, beautiful and safe, and I expect [REP NAME] to vote against this attempt to undermine the scientific research that the EPA depends on. Thank you. (from https://5calls.org/issue/rec1xzyWmbiGgyxNK)

4 “Congress is pushing the private school “choice” agenda by extending the SOAR Reauthorization Act. Reauthorization would fund and expand, with your federal tax dollars, the District of Columbia’s private school voucher program. This program operates with little transparency or accountability, Congress refuses to add protections against discrimination, and every dollar the federal government spends on private school vouchers is less money available to invest in strengthening our public schools. 45’s new budget proposal would slash Department of Education funding and call for adding billions to private schools.” http://www.thenightowlactivist.com/ and https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1387

Action: Contact your US House Representative: Peter Welch 802-652-2450 https://welch.house.gov/contact/emailScript: I am one of the Congressman’s constituents in Vermont. I am calling to ask Representative (name) to vote against HR 1387, the SOAR Reauthorization Act. I do not want my federal tax dollars used to pay for vouchers to private schools, especially those that are free to discriminate. I support public schools, and I am opposed to this bill and other efforts to privatize our schools. Our public schools, not voucher schools, deserve taxpayer support. (from https://npeaction.org/2017/03/24/tell-congress-stop-funding-vouchers/)

Script: I am one of the Congressman’s constituents in Vermont. I am calling to urge the Congressman to support S338, the Scientific Integrity Act. It’s important to me that federal agencies be able to freely communicate with the public, the press, and Congress. Thank you.

Action: Contact Governor Phil Scott 802 828-3333 or http://governor.vermont.gov/contact-us/message and your local Senators to express your support for the clean-up of Lake Champlain, and ask them to find a way to fund it (even if it means raising taxes)

Action: Contact Ben & Jerry’s and urge them to follow up on its promise to ensure the rights of the farmworkers in its supply chain: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403-6828

13 “Embridge Line 5, which carries fuel from western Canada to eastern Canada via the Great Lakes states including going under the Great Lakes and the Mackinac Bridge, is well past its intended lifespan and needs to be shut down. http://www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/problem Line 5 could, potentially, cease operations and be decommissioned if the permit allowing an easement through this area is not renewed.

17 “Equal Pay Day 2017 will be observed on Tuesday, April 4. This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to bring home what men earned in 2016. While that’s not exactly cause for celebration, observing Equal Pay Day (EPD) with events, press, and calls-to-action can be an effective way to raise awareness about the gender pay gap in your community.”

Sign petition to support the Access to Legal Counsel Act, which would give immigrants detained by federal agents at U.S. borders and in detention centers the right to access legal counsel and prohibit immigration officials from denying them food and water https://act.credoaction.com/sign/legal_counsel

“KitchenAid sponsors several women’s golfing events. Let’s tell KitchenAid that we don’t think they should sponsor a golf event at a Trump golf course when we know his attitude toward women: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/kitchenaid_usga/” (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

“It’s already been established that Bill O’Reilly is racist and does not respect women. However, that does not mean that he should not be held accountable for his actions. His treatment of Rep. Maxine Waters on Fox was abhorrent, and Rep. Waters deserves an apology. Let’s sign Color of Change’s petition demanding that he do so:” https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/fox-friends-maxine-waters (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

“Groups that help low-income families get food assistance are alarmed by a recent drop in the number of immigrants seeking help. Some families are even canceling their food stamps and other government benefits, for fear that receiving them will affect their immigration status or lead to deportation. Many of the concerns appear to be unfounded but have been fueled by the Trump administration’s tough stance on immigration.”http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/28/521823480/deportation-fears-prompt-immigrants-to-cancel-food-stamps Let’s step up our donations to food pantries to help these neighbors of ours. (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

“Access to affordable, high-quality early learning programs in the United States is seriously lacking. MomsRising is asking for personal experiences with early learning and childcare, to help create and support policies that work: http://bit.ly/2nrNTNx” (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

“The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO’s Youth Working Group has recently launched a climate justice storytelling initiative,Our Climate Voices, aimed at highlighting local effects of climate change and action steps that people can take to support communities doing work on the ground. Their mission is to contribute towards a shift in the climate change dialogue that puts the voices of those most impacted at the forefront of the conversation. Let’s subscribe to the Our Climate Voices newsletter so we can be among the first to hear about new first-person narratives with action steps that we can take to combat the injustices faced by that community: http://ourclimatevoices.us13.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=b093e2056e2a0d6ef057a7327&id=73f896a217” (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

“The federal government is considering completely cutting the budget for Legal Services Corporation (LSC). This cannot happen! LSC’s budget represents1/10,000th of the entire federal budget but it does SO much for some of our most vulnerable residents. Every year, LSC provides services to nearly 2 million individuals and their families at NO charge throughout the United States and its territories. LSC provides civil legal aid for the poor, addressing matters involving safety, subsistence, and family stability. They do NOT handle criminal matters. These services are very important.” Sign a letter to Congress in defense of LSC http://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/defender.html#talkingpoints (from roganslist.blogspot.com)

READING/VIEWING

For those interested in understanding 45’s supporters – Arlie Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land (recommended by Castleton Indivisible)